This invention relates to apparatus used in various outdoor sports, especially but not exclusively hunting. In particular, the present invention is a trailer mounted, retractable elevated hunting or viewing stand.
This invention relates to a type of elevated seating platform, commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cblindxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstand,xe2x80x9d which are commonly used by outdoors enthusiasts to view wildlife, such as birds and mammals. Stands are perhaps most commonly (but not exclusively) used by hunters, but birdwatchers and the like also employ stands. For the illustrative purposes of this patent application, the focus will be on the use of this stand for hunting. Further, while this invention is suitable for hunting various types of wild game, again for illustrative purposes it will be discussed in the context of hunting deer.
For various reasons, it is often desired to hunt deer from an elevated position, hence the reference to a xe2x80x9cstand.xe2x80x9d Elevated stands are often more effective than ground-level stands, for several reasons: the increased height provides better viewing of the surroundings, permitting the hunter to see over and through underbrush; reduced chances of being viewed by the deer, since deer are not as apt to look upwardly for danger, as most of their natural predators are ground-bearing creatures; and the hunter""s scent is not as likely to be detected by a deer when the hunter is elevated, being instead dispersed above a deer""s scenting location.
Elevated stands are often constructed in place and are relatively permanentxe2x80x94that is, they cannot be readily moved to different areas. Many stands comprise xe2x80x9ctowersxe2x80x9d which have a shooting platform atop a steel or wooden tower framework, placing the shooting platform some distance above the ground. The shooting platform typically provides a few square feet of area to stand on, in addition to a seat (preferably a swivel seat) and a surrounding rail which provides a safety measure and a rest for the hunter""s rifle. The shooting platform may be partially or fully enclosed to shelter the hunter from the elements. Other xe2x80x9cpermanentxe2x80x9d stands are built into trees.
A key limitation to permanent stands is just thatxe2x80x94their permanence. Should a permanent stand be built in a non-productive area, or should game animals"" habits change, the stand may be of little value. It is therefore desirable to have a stand which provides the benefits of a stable, elevated shooting platform, yet which can be readily moved to different locations to increase hunting effectiveness.
Various attempts have been made at building movable, elevated stands. Some movable stands have been built which comprise a conventional tower stand mounted on wheels, and therefore moveable at low speeds where sufficient overhead clearance exists, but stability problems with a tall structure exist. Obviously, such arrangements are not conducive to high-speed movement on public roads, due to both overhead clearance and stability concerns. Similar arrangements have included a scaffold-like structure mounted on a wheeled trailer, for example Howard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,523. Other stand configurations mount an elevated stand structure on an ATV, some of which are hingedly mounted on the ATV and capable of being carried from spot to spot on the ATV. Examples include Reeves, U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,081; Hayes III, U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,986; and Hale, U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,374. Stanley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,839 discloses a collapsible stand mounted in the bed of a pickup truck.
Strange, U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,555 does disclose a trailer mounted, hingedly fixed hunting stand, which appears to be adapted to carry an ATV on the trailer (with the trailer in turn adapted to be towed either by a car or truck on a roadway, or by the ATV upon location). However, the apparatus disclosed in Strange is a relatively complex one, comprising hydraulic cylinders to raise and lower the stand, of necessity requiring a battery, electric motor and hydraulic pump assembly to power the hydraulic cylinders. By contrast, the present invention comprises a trailer mounted xe2x80x9cjack-knifexe2x80x9d stand assembly, of a simplified and relatively inexpensive design, in a preferred embodiment using only a spring to assist in raising the main shaft on which the shooting platform mounts.